Letter to the editor: Modernizing mental health care

May 27, 2026 - 07:46

As Pennsylvania nears the 50th anniversary of its Mental Health Procedures Act, it is worth asking if this decades-old law still meets the needs of residents today. The act was written in a different era, before the rise of community-based care, telehealth, and a deeper understanding of mental illness. While it was progressive for its time, the law now creates barriers rather than solutions.

For example, the current law makes it difficult for families to intervene early when a loved one shows signs of serious mental decline. The criteria for involuntary treatment are narrow, often requiring a person to be an immediate danger to themselves or others. This leaves many people to deteriorate until they reach a crisis point, ending up in emergency rooms or jail instead of getting help.

Modernizing the act could include expanding access to assisted outpatient treatment, which has proven effective in other states. It could also update privacy rules to allow better communication between doctors and families. And it should recognize the role of peer support specialists and mobile crisis teams, which did not exist when the law was written.

We do not need to discard the original intent of protecting individual rights. But we must balance those rights with the reality that untreated mental illness can lead to tragedy. A 50-year-old law should not dictate how we handle a 21st-century crisis. It is time for lawmakers to bring Pennsylvania's mental health care into the present.